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One of my friends likes to say, “Life doesn’t give a **** about your plans.” So what do we do when life does get in the way? What do we do when life comes at you like the little scratch in the back of your throat the morning of a big performance? Here are the 10 things I swear by:
1. Ginger lemon honey tea - This is a lifesaver on any occasion! The best part (IMO) is that it tastes like a cough drop. The ginger acts as an anti-inflammatory and reduces swelling; the lemon kills the bacteria, and the honey soothes your throat. *make sure to use real ginger root*
2. Vitamins (and Zicam) - I like to take Airborne gummies, but anything that gives you an extra boost of Vitamin C works just fine. Zicam nasal spray clears out anything going on in the sinuses for a few hours and makes them feel a lot less clogged (plus it doesn’t dry anything out!)
3. Hot steam shower - You don’t actually have to get into the shower, but sitting in a whole room of steam helps loosen any mucus that may be stuck and helps sweat out whatever nasty bug you may have caught
4. Olbas hot oil - I like to use this in the steam shower, but you don’t need to. It also helps with congestion. You have to rub this into your sinuses - the top of your forehead, above your eyebrows, and down the nose and to the cheekbones. Do not get this stuff in your mouth or eyes because it burns. A good tip is also to rub it in under your hairline on the back of your neck and into your feet. Make sure to keep those areas warm with woolen socks and a scarf.
5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! - I cannot repeat it enough and I hope most of you know that this is one of the most important things you have to do every day, but especially when you’re sick! It will flush out all of the toxins and viruses in your body so that you can get better faster!
If you're in need of motivation during this dreary pandemic at home, read this blog!
6. Advil - I know what you’re thinking, “Everybody says never to take Advil before singing because I’m going to hurt my voice.” Look, it is true that if you are singing all day at full voice and you’re taking 2 Advils every 3-4 hours, you might hurt yourself; however, for most people, that’s not the case and in fact, taking Advil (or DayQuil) before you sing (if you’re sick) will help with any tension, headaches, or throat/vocal cord swelling you may be dealing with.
7. Caffeine - I recommend caffeine with Advil because they work together to do the same thing and the caffeine boost will help with the extra energy necessary to fight the sluggishness that you are probably feeling. Caffeine will also help to take away any headache you may or may not have. Just make sure not to overdo it if you are not an avid coffee drinker.
8. No unnecessary stress - If this means yoga and meditation for you, do it. If it means throwing smash-able objects at a wall for you, do it. Anything you can to relax and not put any more tension into your body than there already is.
9. Lots of (vocal) rest - This is just adding to the previous point, but try your hardest to practice self-care today. You don’t need to go on that jog or bike ride today. Resting your voice is especially important today - try not to talk, yell, or sing unless you absolutely have to.
10. Low hums and trills (no overexertion) - When you do start to sing, slow and easy does it. Do not try to sprint and warm-up in 15 minutes. Take your time, start low, and use the least amount of effort needed. Make sure that everything is in order and working fine before your fully use your instrument
At the end of the day, there is only so much you can do to battle the sickness that decided to plague you the day of a performance. We have to remember that we are not perfect and that every performance is different. If you don’t do great that night, you will have hundreds of more nights to make up for it. The best thing about live performance is that once it's over, it’s over. So go on, stay healthy, and get it over with!
When it is time for you to go on stage, keep in mind some of these tips to help you tackle performance anxiety! Happy Singing!